Ghana’s economy picking up, mid-year budget focuses on jobs – Assafuah

Member of Parliament for Old-Tafo Ekow Vincent Assafuah has noted that Ghana’s economy is picking up from the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic.

Commenting on the mid-year budget statement presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on Thursday July 29, he said focuses on amongst many other things, jobs for the teeming youths of this country.

“There is hope on the horizon. Our economy is picking up from the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Keep hope alive. Ghana is working,” he said in Facebook post after the budget reading.

Mr Ofori Atta told Parliament that for the first time in the history of the fourth republic, the exchange rate did not see a spike after an election year.

He explained that cumulatively, from the beginning of the year to date the exchange rate has depreciated by 0.6 per cent against the US dollars and appreciating by 3.6 per cent against the Euro.

“For the first time in the fourth republic the exchange rate did not see a spike after an election year.

“Cumulatively, from the beginning of the year to date the exchange rate has depreciated by 0.6 per cent against the US dollars and appreciating by 3.6% against the Euro,: he stressed.

He further told the House that he did not come to ask for more money from the House in the mid-year budget.

He also said he did not come for more taxes rather, he came to update the House and the country on the performance of the economy during the first half of the year.

“I have not come here today to ask for more money, I have not come to ask for more taxes, I have come to update the house on the performance of the economy for the first half of the year,” he said amidst claps from members of Parliament.

A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School Dr Lord Mensah has also said he is satisfied with the statement.

Dr Lord Mensah told Dzifa Bampoh on the First Take on 3FM that “I will say indeed I was somehow satisfied. I think for once the cry of Ghanaian have fallen into the good ears of the economic manager.

“If you look at the situation on the ground now, The Finance Minister and his team couldn’t have afforded than to maintain the status quo to ensure that we stay within the fiscal appropriation that we called for.

“If you look at our debt situation and then happenings across the globe I was not expecting the Finance Minister to request for more money to revise the budget deficit that was read in November for 2021.

“Clearly, it shows that as a country we have positioned ourselves to be conserved, to be prudent in our call for money. The situation is not that easy.”

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